Yahoo News The 13 best gins that you might not know about
The continuing gin boom means sales of spirits are earning more money for the Treasury than beer for the first time ever.
Gin sales have surged by 12pc over the past year with a total of 43 million bottles sold across the country according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.
Though a good solid gin like Tanqueray or Plymouth might be your go-to bottle, there has been a huge surge of interesting new brands on the market in recent years.
Below are ten more unusual gins which will make a G&T or a martini to remember – or not, depending on how many you end up drinking.
Whitley Neill
Although it’s made near distinctly-unglamorous Birmingham, Whitley Neill is inspired by the flavours of Africa.
Stuffed with exotic botanicals such as baobab fruit and cape gooseberries, it’s a delicate, smooth gin with a slightly earthy, peppery finish.
Really good with in a G&T, with a slice of orange instead of the standard lemon or lime.
Berkeley Square
This one has some unusual botanicals, including sage and lavender, but none are overpowering: what you get is a really drinkable, mellow gin with just a touch of sweetness from the lime leaves. Best served in a simple cocktail where it can really shine.
Bloom
With its pretty glass bottle and overwhelming floral notes, Bloom is clearly being marketed as a “girly” gin, but don’t let that put you off.
Uncorking it is like stepping into a fragrant English garden on a summer’s day – all soft chamomile and honeysuckle. Great for a summery G&T.
Beefeater London Garden Exclusive Edition
This is a slightly annoying inclusion, because it’s only available from Beefeater’s new visitor centre in London. But if you happen to be passing by, it’s worth popping in for.
Distiller Desmond Payne was inspired by the Chelsea Physic Garden, just round the corner from the original Beefeater distillery, and has created a lovely herbaceous concoction with hints of lemon verbena and thyme.
Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
There’s growing interest among cocktail enthusiasts in Old Tom Gin – a slightly sweetened spirit which is closer to the kind of gin which would have been drunk in 19th century, when many of our classic cocktails were born.
Several bars, including The Dorchester, have it exclusively made for their drinks, but there are several good recreations for general sale, including this one from Hayman's. Try it in a Martinez , a predecessor of the martini, by stirring 30ml Old Tom, 60ml Italian vermouth, 2 dashes of bitters and 2 dashes of maraschino liqueur with ice before straining into a martini glass.
Feel free to adjust or even invert the vermouth/Old Tom ratios if you want something with a bit more punch.
Rock Rose Gin
With its white ceramic bottle and art nouveau-inspired label, this Scottish gin from Dunnet Bay Distillery certainly stands out from the crowd. What's inside the bottle is just as good.
When you first sip, there's a strong blast of juniper, but a whole host of other locally-harvested botanicals soon come out to play, from buckthorn to blaeberries. Light and packed with flavour. Try it on its own over ice with a sprig of rosemary.
Jinzu Gin
Created by a young bartender named Dee Davies, this is an unusual fusion of East And West: a British gin inspired by the flavours of Japan.
Sake, cherry blossom and yuzu - the aromatic Japanese citrus fruit - help create a sweet gin with a creamy mouthfeel. Makes a quirky martini.
Moonshot Gin
'Moonshot Gin from That Boutique-y Gin Company' is made solely with botanicals that have been sent to space.
Ingredients including juniper, coriander, cubeb pepper, fresh lemon peel and camomile flowers were sent via balloon into the stratosphere at an approximate altitude of 24km where they were exposed to extremely low pressures.
The result, an unspeakably cool gin for anyone who ever dreamed of being a space explorer as a kid, or enjoys looking up at the stars.
Anno Gin
One of the first gins to be distilled in Kent since the 1800s, Anno was launched at the end of 2013 by three scientists.
It's chock-full of unusual Kentish botanicals, from lavender to samphire to hops, but nothing over-dominates. Subtle and smooth.
Pinkster
First launched in July 2013, this raspberry-steeped gin is so prettily pink you almost expect it to taste sweet.
It's not: the fruitiness is subtle, and those distinctively "ginny" juniper notes are in the background, making it a good one to try on people who claim to not like gin (aka, crazy people). Maker Stephen Marsh recommends serving it with tonic and mint.
Burleigh's London Dry
Distiller Jamie Baxter (who built and ran the Chase distillery in Herefordshire) was inspired to make this spirit after a wander in Burleigh Wood in Leicestershire, where he spotted silver birch, dandelion, burdock, elderberry and iris and wondered how they'd work in a gin.
A bold gin which balances citrussy-crispness with more earthy, woody notes.
Star of Bombay
Bombay Sapphire isn't for everyone, but this iteration of the spirit is worth a try. It's essentially an intenser, punchier version of the original, with a lot more heat, and a more lingering finish.
Beckett's London Dry
Another London Dry, this time made in Kingston-upon-Thames, featuring juniper picked from Box Hill in Surrey and mint grown in London. The mint gives it a refreshing coolness that stays on the tongue.
The Telegraph Gin Experience
Celebrate the 'ginaissance' this summer with the return of The Telegraph Gin Experience at The Roof Gardens in Kensington. Join us on 1-2 August 2017 for two days of intimate guided tastings, a private fair featuring over 40 gins, talks from experts and delicious food. Find out more at telegraph.co.uk/gin or call 0800 542 5859.
